Empire Conquest
Chapter 395 - 391: False and True

Chapter 395: Chapter 391: False and True

"One could say that just having the ’Longjiang’ back in the lineup was quite an accomplishment.

While formulating the battle plan, Bai Zhizhan and Zhou Yongtao carried out several wargame simulations under different scenarios, and without exception, the results demonstrated that without the ’Longjiang’, regardless of the tactics employed, victory was unattainable, and there would be heavy losses instead.

Even with the ’Longjiang’, the probability of capturing Wei Island without losing any carriers was only about fifty percent.

Put simply, the entire military operation required the deployment of three carriers, of which two were needed just for the surprise attack on Wei Island. Before the ’Imperial Capital’ could be repaired, counting even the poorly-conditioned ’Heng River’, there were only three carriers in total, hence the ’Longjiang’ absolutely could not be absent.

It was not until November 15th that the ’Longjiang’ returned to Puzhou, and on that same day, the shipyard gave a definitive reply stating that the ship’s repairs were quite satisfactory.

It was also on this day that the operation plan officially commenced.

Of course, all other preparatory work had already been completed beforehand.

For instance, repainting the ’Heng River’ with a new coat of anti-rust paint, fitting makeshift antennas, changing its hull number, and suddenly, it transformed into the ’Longjiang’.

These two carriers were sister ships to begin with; compared to the ’Longjiang’, the ’Heng River’, which served as a training ship, merely lacked radio and other command and communication equipment. After adequate camouflage, from a distance, and even up close, it would not necessarily be possible to spot the deception.

At this time, she was just outside East Capital Bay.

To deceive the enemy, the Navy had a fleet oiler install the long-wave radio dismantled from the ’Heng River’, and had it travel back and forth in the Xu Sea, sending out telegrams every few days. They also deployed three newly established shipborne air force units on rotation between Jeju Island, Mast Harbor, and Nagiu Port, pretending to be training in the Xu Sea, thus convincing the Newland Intelligence Agency that the ’Heng River’ remained active in the Xu Sea.

As for the whereabouts of the ’Peijing’, the Imperial Navy did not bother to conceal it.

There was no need for secrecy; a single carrier’s strike force is very limited, and even a successful sneak attack might not completely cripple Wei Island’s airfield.

Besides, in the Flame Sea, the Imperial Navy was already rubbing its hands in eager anticipation.

From a strategic standpoint, it was highly probable that the Imperial Navy would move south in the near future to attack Lion Spring City and support the Army in rapidly sweeping the Toe Peninsula.

After the betrayal of the Luosha Federation, the Imperial Authority had to seriously consider advancing into the Fan Flame Ocean.

With the Luosha Federation’s defection, the Empire lost a major source of oil imports, and the domestically produced oil could not remotely satisfy the demands of the war.

The difficulty of advancing into the Fan Flame Ocean and attacking Boss Bay was less than that of attacking Baku overland.

Furthermore, the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom had already been defeated and surrendered.

After gaining control of Saiyi’s homeland, even without seizing the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom’s overseas territories, such as the North Ma Islands and the more southern Tuk Fortress, a strategic defense line could still be constructed in the West East Ocean, using the Saiyi and Sado Islands as a base, positioned roughly 1000 kilometers from the Imperial homeland.

With this defensive line, the security of the Empire’s homeland was assured.

Of course, this line was not entirely secure

Furthermore, including Nanzhu Country and key locations like Lion Spring City, especially in the vital Pearl region around the Flame Sea, the defense became virtually impregnable.

From this perspective, it was entirely in line with the current strategic situation for the Imperial Navy to shift from defensive to offensive in the East Ocean and focus efforts on the Fan Flame Ocean.

Consequently, the likelihood of the ’Peijing’ heading to the Flame Sea was very high.

For this, the Sixth Bureau put a great deal of work into its strategy.

Over the past month, the Sixth Bureau had been spreading and disseminating information through intelligence networks that the Imperial Navy was planning to attack Nanzhu Country and Lion Spring City within the year.

In the words of Wang Kaiyuan, the Newland Intelligence Agency was certain to be duped.

One couldn’t really say ’duped,’ as the Imperial Navy did indeed plan to attack Nanzhu Country and the Toe Peninsula before the year’s end. If they could successfully control the Toe Peninsula and land on the Mala Peninsula, launching an attack on Lion Spring City within the year, or at the beginning of the next year, was not out of the realm of possibility.

According to the Navy’s plan, regardless of whether or not troops were sent to the Fan Flame Ocean, Lion Spring City must be taken promptly to secure the strategic initiative for entering and exiting the Fan Flame Ocean."

So-called intelligence deception is the intentional act of letting enemy intelligence personnel obtain relevant information.

But strictly speaking, deception wasn’t even necessary.

In the Flame Sea, Liu Xiangdong had been more active than anyone.

Just a few days ago, a raiding fleet composed of cruisers and destroyers, under the cover of night, struck Marra City in Nanzhu Country, bombarding the city. Although the Newland Army Air Force launched a reprisal at dawn, the bombers dispatched were intercepted by the Imperial Navy Air Force over the Flame Sea, not only were more than a dozen shot down, but they also failed to present any threat to the attacking fleet as it returned to base.

The bombardment, which lasted 3 hours, nearly led to the complete paralysis of Marra Port.

Besides, even if the Newland Navy wasn’t fooled and felt that the "Peijing" was still at West East Ocean, they would still conclude it was on the side of the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom.

The reasoning is quite simple, to escort the surrender ceremony for the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom.

Don’t forget that those going to attend the signing ceremony included not only the Imperial Country’s Army Commander and Navy Commander but also the Imperial Family’s Eldest Prince.

On the side of the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, aside from Cabinet officials led by Niu Man and Sawa, even Emperor Xia would make an appearance.

After the signing of the surrender document and a ceasefire agreement with merely symbolic significance, the Eldest Prince of the Empire would officially confer on Emperor Xia in the manner typically reserved for a vassal state.

This gesture was aimed at formally establishing the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom as a vassal state of the Liangxia Empire through official ceremonies.

Even if it was a mere formality, it held unparalleled importance.

The key point here is that it was a declaration to the entire world!

Years ago, when Chen Bingxun led the Fleet into East Capital Bay and blasted open the doors of the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, he did not force Emperor Xia to bow down. Instead, he made the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom sign a treaty that opened its ports and granted the Empire most-favored-nation status, yet allowed the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom to maintain its independence.

It was this independence that turned the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom into the Empire’s mortal enemy.

Less than ten years after Chen Bingxun left, the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom instigated a reformation movement and subsequently abolished the use of Liangxia Characters, which had been in use for over a thousand years.

In contrast, the Gaoju Kingdom still uses Liangxia Characters to this day.

According to unwritten rules, as long as one is officially recognized by the Imperial Family as a vassal state of the Empire, Liangxia Characters must be used in official documents.

The decree of conferment was written in Liangxia Characters.

Once cultural assimilation begins, the chance for the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom to regain its independence becomes nearly impossible.

An oceanic divide?

The Liangxia Empire boasts the most powerful Navy in the world, not to mention the narrow Xu Sea, even the East Ocean could not be an insurmountable natural barrier.

The first step of assimilation was to strip the "divine" attribute from Emperor Xia.

Certainly, forcing Emperor Xia to kneel before the Imperial Family and accept their conferment as a subsidiary emperor was quite sufficient.

Even if the people of Saiyi still regarded Emperor Xia as a spokesperson for the Heavenly God, the Imperial Family was seen as a supreme power, one that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Heavenly God.

From this perspective, the upcoming ceremony was of utmost importance.

After this, there would be no more "Saiyi Imperial Kingdom"; it would be the "Saiyi Republic."

With the fall of the Saiyi Imperial Family that had stood for over two thousand years, what would remain of the culture and traditions representing national identity?

Therefore, regardless of whether the Newland Navy chose to provoke trouble or not, the Liangxia Navy couldn’t afford to take any chances and would surely make every effort to fortify its defenses.

Deploying two carriers was only to be expected.

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